21 Day Fix Review

There is no doubt that Beachbody is one of the leaders when it comes to new, innovative weight loss products and exercise programs. Their workout videos, including Insanity, P90X and FocusT25, have generated more sales for the multi-million dollar company than ever expected. Their supplements and meal replacement shakes, such as Shakeology, have such a dedicated following that many Beachbody fanatics buy them to their entire family, including their children. Until recently, Insanity and P90X were the company’s claim to fame, but in early February, Beachbody released its latest program, the 21 Day Fix.

Introduction

This home workout is different from any other Beachbody program released in the past. It is a full featured workout program accompanied by a thorough weight loss plan as well. One of the unique features of this program is that it involves no counting of any kind. That means you will not need to worry about fat content, carbohydrate count or calorie amount in the foods you consume on the plan. There is no measuring and no wondering how much you can eat or how often. On the 21 Day Fix, no food is prohibited either. But, by far, the most appealing feature that many cannot seem to pass up is the promise that you can lose up to 15 pounds in only 21 days.

The 21 Day Fix was created by Beachbody’s newest trainer, Autumn Calabrese. Autumn is a fitness competitor and certified personal trainer. She has trained countless celebrities, including famous star stylist Rachel Zoe and Dancing with the Stars hosts, Tom Bergeron and Brooke Burke. In the program, she shares her knowledge and passion for fitness in order to help others change their life for the better. Autumn designed the program with the intention of teaching users about fitness, portion control and most importantly, how to build life-long healthy habits. In the program, Amber teaches what proper portion size looks like by using color coded food storage containers to help plan out your meals for each day on the plan. She also created six different workouts in order for you to get the most out of your exercise routine with short, intense bouts of exercise for each day of the week. With each workout video being only about 30 minutes long, they are easy to fit into your day regardless of how busy your schedule may seem. The workout videos are so easy to follow and include basic exercises most people are familiar. If you are a parent that has to workout at home, you can even have your children join you and do the workouts with you. It is never too early to introduce them to fitness and healthy eating.

What is Included in the workout Program?

This is quite a comprehensive program. It is available in a variety of packages from the Beachbody website and from Beachbody coaches as well. The packages available are the Essential Package, the Challenge Pack and the Ultimate Package.

Essential Package

The least expensive package is the Essential Kit. It costs $59.85 plus $13.95 shipping and handling. It includes six workouts on two DVDs, six food storage containers and a shaker cup. In addition, Beachbody is also including four free bonus gifts to supplement the plan. You will also receive an eating Plan, the 3-day Quick Fix guide, the Dirty 30 bonus workout and Beachbody’s 24/7 online support when you order any of the three packages available.

Challenge Pack

Many coaches also offer the 21 Day Fix Challenge Pack. The Challenge Pack includes all of the items that come with the Basic Kit plus a 30 day supply of Shakeology in the flavor of your choice. Since Shakeology is included in the Meal Plan, it is a good option to have on hand while doing the program. It will help add variety to your diet and some even use it as a dessert treat. The cost of the Challenge Pack is $160 and shipping is only $2.00.

The Ultimate

In addition to the Essential package and Challenge pack, you can also opt for the Ultimate 21 Day Fix Kit. The Ultimate package comes with everything included in the Essential 21 Day Kit, plus an insulated bag to store your food in at work or while on outings, two additional workouts, a large on-the-go container and a resistance band. The two additional workouts are Flat Abs Fix and Barre Legs. They can be done in addition to the six workout videos already included with the program in order to turn up the intensity throughout the week.

The resistance band is a 15 pound Pro-Grade band that you can utilize while doing your daily workouts. The plan suggests using free weights but, if you are just starting out with a fitness routine and do not have weights handy, you can incorporate the resistance band to get started. Once you feel comfortable enough that you will continue with the plan and have increased your strength, you can add free weights as well.

The on-the-go container given as an additional gift makes it easy to take your food storage containers while on the road for work or pleasure. The Ultimate Fix costs $119.70. You can also purchase the two additional Ultimate DVD workouts, Flat Abs Fix and Barre Legs individually and add it to the Basic Kit or Challenge Pack for $29.85 if you wish.

Some additional items you can purchase to go along with your program are an extra set of food storage containers and a Plyo Fix Workout to add to your 21 Day Fix workout DVDs. It is a good idea to have an extra set of food containers for advanced meal planning and food preparation. Since you will be eating more than one of each container filled with food each day, it can be difficult to eat out of it, wash it and refill it if you spend most of your day at work or out running errands. Having at least two to three sets of the containers will allow you to plan your meals ahead of time and have them ready for the remainder of the day. You can also plan your meals prior to the work week beginning and store it all in the containers for a few days at a time. By doing this you will be less likely to cheat and deviate from the 21 Day Fix eating plan. A seven piece set of extra containers costs $17.85 so planning ahead for the week will mean spending more money on containers but it can be very helpful in ensuring you stick to the plan.

The Plyo Fix Workout is an excellent addition to the six workouts already included.. It will give you an added workout to help mix up the program or use it in addition to one of the 21 Day Fix DVDs in order to extend your workout.

The Workouts

The 21 Day Fix program comes with six workouts on two DVDs plus the bonus workout, the Dirty 30. The workouts are only about 30 minutes long and are ideal for anyone that leads a busy lifestyle and/or has little time to squeeze in a workout due to family or work demands. The only equipment necessary to complete the workouts is a variety of small free weights and a resistance band. Some workouts can also be done with your own body weight and will require nothing but a workout mat. The program is as basic as it gets, but the results that you can achieve in only three weeks are far beyond basic. Although the workouts are short, they are intense and will leave you feeling the burn for days. If you have limitations due to an injury or other ailment, there are modifiers in every workout that appear on screen to help you town down the intensity and the impact on your body without sacrificing calorie burn.

You can expect to do a work out each day of the week but, since each is only 30 minutes long, it is easy to complete either before work, during your lunch break or in the evening before bed. Throughout the 21 days on the program, you will repeat the DVDs for three weeks.

The six workouts included are the Total Body Cardio Fix, Upper Fix, Lower Fix, Pilates Fix, Cardio Fix and Yoga Fix. In addition, you will also receive the 10 Minute Fix for Abs and the Dirty 30 as a bonus free gift. Either one of these workouts can be done on a separate day or in addition to the six workouts that are part of the core fitness program.

Total Body Cardio Fix
The Total Body Cardio Fix is a fast paced cardio workout that can be done with your own body weight or can also be done with weights and/or resistance bands to up the intensity. The 30 minutes include two exercises done for four rounds. There is a short 20 second rest period in between each round for recovery. The purpose of the Total Body Cardio Fix is to give you a whole body cardio workout while toning every muscle from head to toe.

Upper Fix
The Upper Fix works the upper body, including arms, chest, shoulders and abs. You can use weights and resistance bands with this workout as well or you can simply use your own body weight. There are five exercises that will be done for two rounds with a 20 second rest period in between. You can expect to do push-ups, scissor twists, planks and presses, among others.

Lower Fix
This workout focuses on the lower body, with a special focus on most women’s problem areas, the legs and buttocks. Once again, you will be doing two rounds of exercises with a rest period in between that is 20 seconds long. Everything from your calves to your buttocks will be sore after completing this 30 minute workout.

Cardio Fix
The Cardio Fix is a workout based on High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) similar to Shaun T’s workouts in the Insanity and Focus T25 programs. It involves minute long bursts of very intense exercise with 20 second rest periods in between for recovery. Explosive, plyometrics moves such as skater jumps and box jumps are mixed with classics such as jumping jacks and push-ups to give you a sweat inducing, calorie torching workout for the entire 31 minute length of the DVD.

Yoga Fix
Although the Yoga Fix seems less intense than the others, it is by no means an easy workout. It involves plenty of stretching to help recover from the week of more grueling activity, and is to be done on the seventh day of the week in addition to one of the other videos.

Bonus Workout: Dirty 30
In addition to the six workouts already included, you will also receive the Dirty 30 Workout to add to your fitness routine as a bonus gift. The Dirty 30 is similar to a CrossFit workout, and includes a variety of exercises that will be repeated for four rounds in order to help you carve out a leaner, stronger, more defined physique.

Plyo Fix
The Plyo Fix workout is a bonus. It does not come with the program unless it is purchased through Team Beachbody and can be done in addition to any of the daily workout videos on the workout schedule. It is filled with plyometric exercises that help improve overall strength and stamina.

The Nutrition Plan

Autumn’s Nutrition Plan is one of the easiest plans to follow. The containers make it very easy to know what to eat and how much, especially since no food is off limits on this plan. Each container is to be used to store and measure a specific type of food. You can eat as much of that food as you can fit into that container. The container colors and their specific use are as follows:

Green—Vegetables

Purple—Fruit

Red—Protein

Yellow—Carbohydrates

Blue—Healthy Fats and Cheese

Orange (2)—Seeds and Oils

Shakeology Shaker Cup—Drinks

Once you receive the plan and have your containers, all you need to do is fill it with delicious, healthy food and eat what you can fit into them. There is no need to worry about fat, calories, carbohydrates, sugar content or any other number for that matter. It could not be easier, especially for someone that is new to weight loss and/or does not want to have to worry about keeping track of how much they have eaten. The eating plan even includes a restaurant guide so you can plan ahead before heading out to dinner with friends and remain on the plan without cheating.

In order to help keep you within a healthy calorie range without counting them, the nutritional plan comes with a chart and mathematical equation to help you determine how many servings of each of the seven containers you should be eating per day. Since calorie intake differs for everyone depending on gender, stature and activity level, you will be required to use the equation and chart in order to figure out how much to eat in order to reach your desired goal weight. For women, the average daily caloric intake is anywhere between 1,200 and 1,400 calories per day. In a typical day, a woman consuming 1,300 calories on average will be able to eat the following:

3 green

1 purple

4 red

3 yellow

1 blue

2 orange

If you happen to be on a special diet, such as vegetarian, diabetic, breastfeeding or any other, the diet can be adapted to meet your specific dietary needs. The containers and plan can be modified, and instructions to do so depending on your specific diet are included in the program.

3 Day Quick Fix

Think about the 3 Day Quick Fix as an accelerated kick start to your weight loss. It will help you shed the maximum amount of weight that is healthy for your body type and frame in as little as 72 hours. The 3 Day Quick Fix is what its’ creator, Autumn Calabrese, uses in order to prepare for a fitness competition or magazine photo shoot. The 3 Day Quick Fix can be done in the beginning of the plan and/or at the end for even more incredible results.

Free Online Support

Beachbody offers free online support 24 hours per day, seven days a week with any program purchased. If you purchase any Beachbody product and have questions, need encouragement or just want to get in contact with others going through the program, you can log onto the online forum and have access to millions of other Beachbody customers, trainers and coaches. There you will be able to communicate with others to discuss your experiences with the program. Occasionally, some of the top fitness trainers and fitness pioneers, including Autumn Calabrese, Tony Horton, Shaun T and other Beachbody trainers featured in the various Beachbody series, participate in online forums and chats at Beachbody.com.

What Can I Expect From This Exercise & Diet Program?

If you want to lose weight quickly, this is one program that is capable of delivering that. There are two approaches you can take when embarking on the 21 Day Fix, and the path you choose will depend on how much weight you have to lose. If you have a substantial amount of weight to lose, you can easily lose 15 pounds in 21 days as promised by the program. As long as you follow the exercise plan and eat only what you can fit into the containers, your weight will come off. The longer you remain on the program, the more weight you will lose. You can have one cheat meal per week as stated in the nutrition plan, but it is important not to over indulge.

If you only have a small amount to lose and you want to lose your last 10 to 15 pounds before summer, you can realistically expect to lose up to 10 pounds in the three weeks on the plan and gradually lose the rest if you continue.

If you wish to do the plan long term and lose a lot of weight over an extended period of time, you can repeat the program as many times as you want in order to achieve your desired weight loss. Once you are accustomed to how much you should be eating each day, you can simply use the containers daily and incorporate different workouts and fitness routines from other Beachbody programs to avoid boredom. The goal is not to be a temporary diet that you stay on until your weight comes off. When Autumn created the plan, she did so because she wanted to teach others healthy eating habits. America has a major problem with portion control and, you can learn what a proper sized meal should look like.

If you want to begin but prefer to do it with some guidance, you can contact any of the Beachbody coaches available worldwide and join a challenge group. Beachbody coaches sell all of the Beachbody programs and create challenge groups to help support users throughout their journey on the plan. By joining a challenge group, you will receive one on one support from an experienced Beachbody coach that will walk you through each step. A Beachbody coach can help motivate, keep you accountable and teach you how to make the plan work according to your specific lifestyle. Many of the challenge groups are done online so you can have access to your personal coach when you have questions, for weekly weigh ins or for support when you feel you may “fall off the wagon” per say. Some Beachbody coaches even offer incentives for the most weight lost at the end of a challenge group period. Prizes even include monetary rewards or other Beachbody programs for free.

Pros vs. Cons

Since it made its debut in early February, 21 Day Fix has received rave reviews from both men and women that have given the program a try. Look over the pros and cons below and decide if it is a program you would be interested in trying out.

Pros

Anyone can do the program, regardless of age, gender or special diet

Relatively inexpensive for a weight loss plan and fitness program

Minimal equipment is needed to complete the workouts.

Short, 30 minute workouts are easier to fit into a busy schedule that longer gym or outdoor workouts.

There are modifications in all of the workout videos for those with limitations now allowing them to perform at full potential.

Cons

You will probably need additional containers and they can be pricey.

Workouts can be boring since they are repetitive sets of exercises

Warm up & cool down periods in workout videos are very short and seem insufficient.

Only 7 different workouts compared to other Beachbody programs that have 10 or more.

Testimonials

I am 65 years old and never thought I would be trying a weight loss program at this age but my grandchildren purchased it for me and I cannot turn them down. I have at least 50 pounds to lose and I want to live long enough to enjoy many years with them. I started the 21 Day Fix last week and I have to admit, it was tough in the beginning. I eat A LOT and I know my portions are out of control so the containers were not easy to get used to. With that said, I want to learn how to eat better so I can set an example for them and this last week on the plan has taught me to do that. In just one week, I lost almost 7 pounds but I feel 20 pounds lighter. I am not as bloated, I have more energy and I feel like I can move around much easier. The workouts are tough but I incorporate the modifications and feel like I am benefiting from them. We shall see what the next two weeks bring but I am confident that I will continue to lose weight. I plan to stay on the 21 Day Fix until I have lost all 50 pounds.
Cecilia C.

My wife just bought the 21 Day Fix from a Beachbody coach friend of hers and asked me to do it along with her. She had a baby six weeks ago and bought it to lose the last 20 pounds of baby weight she put on while pregnant with my son. We have done one round (three weeks) on the 21 Day Fix together and are pretty happy with the results. I have way more weight to lose than she does so I have lost more but we have both seen progress. We plan to stay on the plan until I reach my goal weight and until we both feel confident we have learned the healthy habits necessary to raise a happy, healthy son. Americans eat plates three to four times larger than what a serving should be and we do not want to raise a child destined for obesity. We love Beachbody products and definitely feel they released yet another excellent program with the 21 Day Fix.
Jonathan O.

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